World

U.S. Set to Give up Its Last Power Over the Internet

The US is reported to be preparing to release its last control of the Internet. U.S. Navy sailors lower an American flag on the U.S. aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman in the Gulf of Oman on Friday, Jan. 31, 2014.

The U.S. government will give up its last measure of control over the Internet, possibly as soon as next year.

An agreement between the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is set to expire in 2015 and will not be renewed if a changeover plan is developed.

"To support and enhance the multistakeholder model of Internet policymaking and governance, the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today announces its intent to transition key Internet domain name functions to the global multistakeholder community," the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, wrote in a press release.

ICANN was founded in 1998 by the U.S. government and oversees the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, which regulates IP addresses and the Domain Name System (DNS), in addition to other responsibilities.

The U.S. role in web domain management has been among the last pieces of the Internet under the government's control. The contract through which the U.S. exerts influence over ICANN was renewed in 2006.

Fadi Chehadé called the move "the culmination of a commitment the U.S. government made in 1998" to relinquish its remaining control of the Internet.

"This is historic because it marks a point of maturity in ICANN, the ICANN community and the global Internet community, and I think that the decision of the United States government to do this at this point is truly at triumph of the multi-state model, the model that underpins how we do everything in the Internet technical community," Chehadé said in a phone call with journalists.

When asked if there would be any visible impact on the Internet for the average consumer, Chehadé said: "The answer is a flat no."

The details of the handover are not yet set. ICANN has been tasked with developing a plan that will relieve the role of the U.S of its role.

"As the first step, NTIA is asking the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to convene global stakeholders to develop a proposal to transition the current role played by NTIA in the coordination of the Internet’s domain name system (DNS)," the Commerce Department said in its statement.

The U.S. has been widely criticized for its control of aspects of the Internet, particularly in light of Edward Snowden's revelations about the actions of the National Security Agency. The EU recently called for a replacement to ICANN in an effort to minimize U.S. control.

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